Heathrow delays 'risk losing trade with China'

Huge queues at Heathrow have damaged Britain in the eyes of foreign business
executives, said Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways owner
International Airlines Group.

Mr Walsh said Asian businessmen are likely to be particularly appalled to be greeted with "three hours of waiting in a corridor" when the top-five airports for smooth immigration are all in Asia: in Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Beijing respectively.Photo: PA

Speaking on a trip to China to drum up business for the UK, Mr Walsh said the Government had failed to do two simple things within its control: make it easy for foreign businessmen to obtain visas and ensure smooth entry into the UK.

"There is no point in David Cameron coming here [to China] or George Osborne saying Britain is open for business if you are going to make it impossible for Chinese businessmen to go to the UK," he said. "I have people sending me emails saying they know I am not responsible for controlling the border, but that something has to be done because they are not coming back to the UK."

Mr Walsh said Asian businessmen are likely to be particularly appalled to be greeted with "three hours of waiting in a corridor" when the top-five airports for smooth immigration are all in Asia: in Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Beijing respectively.

"Who would think that it is easier to get into China than into the UK?" he asked. "But I have been flying into Beijing every three to four months and I have never seen a queue. The UK has the facilities, but they are not being manned. It is possible to solve this if they decide it is important."

Mr Walsh said the UK Border Agency had the resources to reduce immigration queues if it chose to. "You need to manage it in a more efficient way and look at where there are peaks in demand. The airline industry is not nine to five. It is no good saying there are queues in the US as well, we are behind and we need to catch up," he said.

He also said Chinese businessmen had complained about complex and expensive entry visas, and had said they preferred doing business in Europe.

"A visa to the Schengen area gives you access to 25 European countries and is two-thirds of the price. The Chinese are asking why they should put up with the hassle of coming to the UK when other countries are more welcoming," Mr Walsh said.

"Part of the problem is . . . [immigration minister] Damian Green going to Heathrow and telling people that there was no problem with queues. The Government is very defensive about it. But if every Chinese person I meet tells me it is a problem, who am I going to believe?"

Mr Walsh said he expected British Airways to be running flights to eight to 10 Chinese cities, from its current tally of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, within the next decade, and said the problem that the airline faces is not Chinese regulation, but the lack of available slots at Heathrow.